Leg for tables or desks



Sept. 28, 1954 MAUSER 2,690,370

LEG FOR TABLES 0R DESKS Filed Sept. 21, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1

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LEG FOR TABLES OR DESKS Filed Sept. 21,.1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 1.

Patented Sept. 28, 1954 LEG FOR. TABLES OR DESKS Alfons Mauser, Koln-Marienburg, Germany, assignor to Mauser K.-G., Koln-Ehrenfeld, Germany Application. September 21, 1949., Serial No-..116,9,82

Claims priority, application France September 23, 1948 3 Claims. 1

The present. invention relates to articles of furn-iture, and more particularly to tables, desks, or the like.

It an. object of the. present invention to provide a table or.- desk. the top of which is carried by a supporting body provided with a covering of sheet material which may be readily tensioned.

It is. another object of the present; invention to provide standard and covering means of flex.- ible material laid around a. portion of each standard so as to form upright walls.

Other objects and structural details of the invention will be. apparent from the following description when read inconiunction with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, wherein Fig. 1 is a. front elevational view of one embodiment of a desk according to the invention,

Fig. 21 is a. sectional. view of the desk; shown inFig. 1,

Fig. 3 is partly a top. plan view and partly a sectional view of the desk shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 4. is a front elevational view of another embodiment of the desk according to the invention, and

Fig. 5 is. a sectional View of still another embodiment of av supporting element of a table or the like according to the invention.

Referring now to the drawings and first; to Figs. 1-3, a plate 2 rests on and is carried by two standards l. The plate 2 is provided with ornamental moldings 3, the main portions of the standards i are provided with ornamental moldings 4 and the ground engaging portions of said standards are provided with ornamental moldings 5. Said moldings may be attached to the walls of said plate and standards or they may be formed by a suitable pressing of the walls proper.

Each standard I comprises two inner supporting members or cylinders 6 of steel sheet material. According to the embodiment shown in the drawings corrugated material is used for. reinforcing purposes, the bands 1 of which project inwardly on substantially horizontal planes. An outer flexible covering 8 carrying the ornamental moldings 4 is laid as an endless strip around said inner cylinders 6. The upper and lower ends of said inner cylinders 6 are closed by deeply drawn plates 9, which may be connected with said cylinders by spot welding for example. lower cylinder ID of reduced diameter secured to each of said lower plates 9 is closed at its lower end by a bottom H. A decorative endless strap or band 2 carrying the ornamental moldings 5 is laid around both inner cylinders l8. Spreading devices l3 comprising a wedge engaged with two blocks are placed between the inner cylinders. 6. Said spreading devices it. are. arranged for spreading said inner cylinders 6 and the lower cylinders ill apart from each other so as to. tension the decorative covering 8 and the decorative band l2. with the ornamental moldings 4 and 5 mounted thereon.

The sturdy top 2 of the desk comprises a trough M of steel sheet which is covered by an upper plate of suitable material and may be provided with reinforcements, if desired. Instead of the top 2 shown in Figs. 1 and 2, a top made of different material and/or of diiferent construction may be used, if desired. Moreover, drawers; l6 indicated by dash and dot lines in Fig. 2, which may be locked by locks, or safety compartments, may be. arranged in the hollow interior of the desk top 2. Engaging elements, for example, flanged discs H, are secured to the lower surface of the trough [4 of the desk top 2 for engagement with the flanged upper plates 9 of the supporting cylinders 6 of the standards I, whereby the top 2: of the desk is directly supported by said supporting cylinders 6. If desired, said flanged discs i1 may be adjustably mounted on. said trough [4 for adjustments in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the oval cross-section of the associated standard so as to compensate for differences caused by the tensioning of the covering 8 and band l2 of the standard by a displacement of the supporting cylinders 6 by means of the spreading devices I 3.

Fig. 44 ill strates a desk; wherein the standards 32 are of polygonal cross-section. Said standards are tapered towards the ground. Preferably, the decorative covering of a standard 32 of the desk shown in Fig. 4 is tensioned by the arrangement of an inner skeleton comprising a pair of bodies of the same tapered shape which are wedged into the decorative covering by a spreading device. .Said inner skeleton may be made of a material which is less expensive than the material of the covering.

Fig. 5 illustrates the lower portion of a supporting member for use in a standard for supporting the top of a desk or the like, wherein said supporting member has two set-back portions. The supporting member comprises an upper supporting cylinder 23, an intermediate cylinder 25 of reduced cross-section, and a lower cylinder 2.? of stil1 more reduced cross-section. The upper supporting cylinder 23 is closed at its lower end by the bottom 24. The intermediate cylinder 25 secured to said bottom 24 is closed its lower end by the bottom 26. The lower cylinder 27 secured to said bottom 26 is closed at its lower end by the bottom 28. Decorative coverings 29, 30 and 31 are laid around said cylinders 23, 25, and 2?, respectively. Spreading devices cooperating with said cylinders may be of the construction shown in Figs, 2 and 3 or of any other suitable construction.

Standards of above described type having a covering may also be used for other articles of furniture.

Preferably, the standards according to the invention are manufactured in standardized sizes, so that the individual standards may be used in conjunction with table tops, preferably likewise standardized, for the assemblage of various articles of furniture, whereby the costs of manufacture are reduced.

In all embodiments of standards having a decorative covering and a spreading device for tensioning same, said covering may be made of high grade sheet meta-1 or of another suitable flexible material such as a fabric or a plastic. The supporting members or cylinders, the spreading device and other parts inside the covering may be made of less expensive material.

Ornamental moldings arranged on coverings may be tensioned together with the tensioning of the coverings.

For a better connection suitable adhesive means may be interposed.

The manufacture of the parts of a standard consisting of sheet metal may be carried out in an economical manner customary for the manufacture oi containers. For example the longitudinal seams of the supporting clindersand of the covering members may be closed by welding or spot welding.

When according to the embodiments shown in Figs. 1-4 the table top is removed from the standards, the spreading means of said standards become readily accessible for adjustment thereof, if necessary.

I have described preferred embodiments of my invention, but it is understood that this disclosure is for the purpose of illustration and that Various omissions or changes in shape, proportion and arrangement of parts, as well as the substitution of equivalent elements for those, herein shown and described, may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

It is understood that the term table used in the appended claims is to be construed in its widest sense so as to include all kinds of tables, desks or the like.

What I claim is:

1. A table having: a table top, and at least one standard carrying said table top, said standard comprising a pair of spaced upright hollow supporting members, said supporting members being in supporting engagement with said table top, covering means of flexible material being laid around a portion of each upright supporting member and enclosing laterally said pair of supporting members so as to form upright walls, and spreading means arranged between said sup porting members, said spreading means being operatively engaged with said supporting members for spreading same apart from each other and tensioning said covering means of flexible material, whereby a fixed shape is imparted to said covering means and to said standard as a whole.

2. A table having: a table top, and at least one standard carrying said table top, said standard comprising a pair of spaced upright hollow supporting cylinders being in supporting engagement with said table top, an endless strap of flexible covering material being laid around a portion of each upright supporting cylinder and enclosing laterally said pair of upright supporting cylinders so as to form upright walls, and spreading means arranged between said supporting cylinders, said spreading means being operatively engaged with said supporting cylinders for spreading same apart from each other and ten sioning said endless strap of flexible covering material whereby a fixed shape is imparted to said strap and to said standard as a whole.

3. A table having a table top, and at least one standard carrying said table top, said standard comprising: a pair of spaced upright hollow supporting members being in supporting engagement with said table top, each of said supporting members including a main cylindrical portion and at least one lower set-back cylindrical portion or" reduced diameter, a first endless strap of flexible covering material being arranged around a portion of said main cylindrical portion of each of said upright supporting members and enclosing laterally said main cylindrical portions of said pair of upright supporting members so as to form first upright Walls, at least one second endless strap of flexible covering material being arranged around a portion of said set-back cylindrical portion of each of said upright supporting members and enclosing laterally said set-back cylindrical supporting portions of said pair of upright supporting members so as to form second upright walls, and spreading means arranged between said supporting members, said spreading means being operatively engaged with said supporting members for spreading same apart from each other and tensioning said endless straps of flexible covering material, whereby a fixed shape is imparted to said covering materials and to said standard as a whole.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 151,554 Anderson June 2, 1874 652,720 Merriman June 26, 1900 924,809 Maddox June 15, 1909 982,600 Hanson Jan. 24, 1911 1,277,988 Miller Sept. 3, 1918 1,524,897 Weil Feb. 3, 1925 1,688,456 Dolph Oct. 23, 1928 1,744,425 Wanner Jan. 21, 1930 1,793,709 Meyers Feb. 24, 1931 1,800,343 Geiger Apr. 14, 1931 1,952,665 Failey Mar. 27, 1934 2,010,394 Herman Aug. 6, 1935 2,024,330 Bemis Dec. 17, 1935 2,137,717 Feldman Nov. 22, 1938 2,425,025 Boisselier Aug, 5, 1947 2,544,822 Brown Mar. 13, 1951 2,550,306 Soper Apr. 24, 1951 2,556,398 Rutledge June 12, 1951 2,590,315 Hawley, Jr. Mar. 25, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Germany June 15, 1932 

